Despite selling more than three million copies of their 1992 debut album, Core, the Stone Temple Pilots hadn't received the national acclaim they deserved. While fans devoured the STP sound early on, the critics weren't convinced, saying the coarse, guitar-seared tunes featured on
Core mysteriously echoed the music that was floating out of Seattle at the time. Even frontman Scott Weiland, they claimed, altered his look and sound to mimic Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Alice in Chains' Layne Staley. That all changed, though, with the release of their sophomore album,
Purple.

Clearly, STP meant to chip away at this mountain of skepticism by showing just how diverse their talents are, and the end result was this magnificent album. Dean DeLeo's manic guitar is prevalent in rockers like "Silvergun Superman" and "Unglued," and Weiland still lets his raw vocals run free throughout the entire 11-track lineup, but the finished product is a much more polished, tighter album than its predecessor. "Vasoline," "Interstate Love Song" and "Big Empty" all hit big as singles and "Still Remains," which never made it to the radio, is one of the disc's hidden masterpieces, as is the playfully simple "Pretty Penny."

Maybe the Stone Temple Pilots grabbed onto the coattails of Seattle's grunge scene, but with
Purple the San Diego natives carved their own distinct initials into the rock and roll tree. Mixing some variety in with their 1992 recipe for success, STP proved they're much more than a cheap imitation. These guys are the real deal.